1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for treating hair, and, in particular, relates to an apparatus adapted to impart both a straightening and curling effect on a subject's hair. The apparatus further relates to an apparatus with a dual ceramic heating assembly and metallic construction, which distributes thermal energy to all areas of the treatment head whereby hair straightening and curling capabilities are enhanced.
2. Background of the Related Art
Heated hair may be smoothed, manipulated, and styled more easily that non-heated hair. There are numerous hair styling tools and appliances for heated styling of hair including hair straightener and curling irons apparatuses with each having a variety of features. Hair straightener apparatuses typically include two pivotal handles which are hinged at one end and pivot about the hinge between open and closed positions. Heating heads extend from each handle and have inner surfaces comprised of a heatable material, usually metal, for straightening or styling hair. An electric heater element located beneath each heatable surface is activated to warm the surfaces to a desired temperature. The inner surfaces are positionable around hair to be styled, and the hinged handles are moved to a closed position bringing the heated inner surfaces in contact with the hair. The gripped handles are then slid along the hair strands until the hair exits from the heads. One example of a hair straightener apparatus is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,532, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
Curling irons are intended to impart a curl, wave or twist pattern to hair being styled by sufficiently heating a barrel or mandrel of the curling iron and restraining the hair in physical contact with the barrel. A section of hair is typically wound around the heated barrel of the curling iron and held in contact with the heated barrel for a period of time. Heat from the heated barrel reforms plastic bonds in the hair. When the heat styled hair is removed from the heated barrel, the hair generally retains the shape of the curling iron's barrel.
Conventional hair straighteners and curling irons have certain deficiencies which detract from their usefulness in performing multiple styling functions on a subject's head. For example, these apparatuses are ill suited to perform the dual function of hair straightening and hair curling. Reasons for this include insufficient heat distribution to the outer heating heads or mandrels, which may be a result of the construction, materials and/or the arrangement and configurations of the heating assemblies of these apparatuses.